Rhino's Ramblings - Impacts Of A Budget Denied
By Robert Thomas Opinion/Commentary
If you haven’t been following this year's 2023 City of Moose Jaw Budget deliberations you wouldn’t have been the only one.
Other than a few comments on social media attention to what should be a very hotly contested budget of constraint have been lackluster to say the least.
The deliberatons have been in a nutshell for want of other words - simply boring.
There should have been explosions going off around the Council chamber given the world economic conditions - but nope its a repeat of years past.
Take it or leave it.
It’s a budget even Mayor Clive Tolley knows is a tough one for the public to chew off.
But nevertheless it is what it is.
The Moose Jaw Budget 2023 is if you were to swallow it in a few gulps should make you sick to your stomach. That in my opinion is how bad it is.
Moose Jaw Board Of Police Commissioners’ Budget - A Tantalizing Morsel
That is except for one tiny morsel - the budget the Moose Jaw Board Of Police Commissioners (MJBOPC) submits to Council.
The budget that funds the Moose Jaw Police Service (MJPS).
A budget that this time around surprisingly had to be snuck around the back rooms of City Hall in a desperate bid to get it passed without amendment.
A budget that was presented and discussed at length in-camera at what is commonly referred to as one of Moose Jaw’s notorious “secret meetings.”
A budget which nevertheless was sent back to the Board Of Police Commissioners when it came up for public discussion and approval the first time around.
It was like a silence bomb enveloped the Council chamber when the vote came down 4 - 3.
It was literally described by Councillor Dawn Luhning and now former chair of the Police Commission chair Dawn Luhning as a “now what” moment.
Councillor Luhning described it as something she has never seen before sent back in her 19 years on Council. A Police Budget sent back with suggested changes.
It was almost like a slap in the face.
A failed attempt last Wednesday lead to in-camera discussions the next day, Thursday, at the MJBOPC monthly meeting on how to fix the budget.
Or in the opinions of some - how to spin the budget so there is no reputation damage.
This in-camera meeting of the Board of Police Commissioners was followed up with a semi-private virtual meeting on Monday morning in front of select invited media.
And nope - MJ Independent was not invited to listen in on what was suppose to be a public meeting.
But then again I will be honest I likely would not have participated given my own ultimatum about the MJBOPC and how the PRESS has been treated when they are really just trying to do their jobs.
With that said what MJPS Chief Rick Bourassa told the meeting that on the Wednesday (the day the MJBOPC budget was sent back for review) he had been informed by the Saskatchewan Police College the exact numbers of officers who would be accepted this year.
As such Chief Bourassa said there was a $51,511 savings to be had in the MJPS's budget request.
Accumulated Surplus
A $51,511 savings, which if Council had not in my opinion made this an issue (hill) to die on, would most likely have flown into the MJPS's accumulated surplus account.
And nope Council approved MJBOPC's surplus budget requests don’t flow back to the taxpayers at large but rather stay in an account only accessible to fund the MJPS - the Accumulated Surplus Account.
I know it sounds strange but yes if the MJBOPC puts out a budget request too high and Council approves it then any excess funds flow into the MJPS accumulated surplus.
Where the funds can be distributed in secret to initiatives away from the public eye.
In my opinion and others I have talked to this is damn near akin to a secret slush fund.
It is also where I believe and have an opinion of where the MJPS got the funds to finance - in part at least - the new Tactical Team.
Photo Radar Funding To The Rescue
The other area where the MJBOPC made a financial move was requesting the transfer of $330,000 from the Traffic Safety Reserve to help finance traffic patrol in 2023.
This is $220,000 more than the original $110,000 requested in the MJPS budget.
The Traffic Safety Reserve is a fund built up from what is politely called Automated (Traffic) Speed Enforcement but is called photo radar for the rest of us.
A deterrent to people speeding - largely at the intersection of the TransCanada Highway and 9th Avenue NW - this year is going to be the cash cow helping to finance at least part of the MJPS's operations.
Or should I be more blunt - reduce the property tax increase.
A deterrent, which is not supposed to be a revenue source, is in my opinion rapidly turning into one.
It is sort of like the City itself is saying don't speed and cause accidents but at the same time saying going ahead and speed just do not cause any accidents. We really need the money.
The net effect is this year due to these two changes property tax payers are off the hook from the outrage to a more barely palatable property tax increase.
In fact during the virtual meeting it’s actually quite close to what Police Commissioner and also Mayor Clive Tolley said.
Spin, Spin, Spin
But even during the Monday morning presentation - for the media's viewing only and no asking any questions virtual meeting - Chief Bourassa was already starting to sell the newly approved MJPS Budget.
For something that in reality it is not.
The best way in my opinion to describe Chief Bourassa's actions is he is just as good if not better than a used car salesman with a 1972 Ford Pinto to unload as a Cadillac.
This after only running it into the wash bay for a 15 minute hosing off.
Chief Bourassa did a unique PR trick by stating the lowest of two numbers drawing attention from the reality of the situation.
Suddenly the Chief was no longer speaking about a year over year increase in the Police Budget from 2022 to 2023 but was rather speaking about the effect on the City of Moose Jaw Budget 2023 as a whole.
The 5.49 percent increase in the year over year Police Budgets suddenly became a 1.86 percent increase on the total City's 2023 Operating Budget.
Then by taking the $51,511 saving by not funding a single officer until actually hired plus the $330,000 you suddenly have a saving of $380,511 to property taxpayers.
Voila the amount now needed from the City by the MJPS is a reasonable 1.03 percent and not the higher looking 3.06 percent if the same figures were applied by comparing the year over year increase requested to fund the MJPS.
It was one of those moments of a used car salesman telling you you can buy the aforementioned 1972 Pinto for $99 weekly versus $413 a month.
In reality they are close to the same except one is more enticing due to the lower payments.
It’s a psychological marketing trick best exposed by A & W years ago when they decided to take out McDonalds infamous 1/4 Pounder with an A & W 1/3 Pound burger.
The entire campaign failed because people subconsciously saw 1/3 or a 3 as smaller in size than a 1/4 or a 4.
This despite the fact a 1/3 pound burger is in fact larger that a 1/4 pound burger.
Whether it was done intentionally or not by Chief Bourassa is debatable but it had a desired effect.
Also by holding the virtual meeting with the PRESS on Monday morning at 11:30 am - just in time to get it on that night's regular Council meeting agenda - worked to get the Police Budget quickly approved.
Couldn’t the same meeting open to the PRESS been held on Friday?
Or did that give people a couple of days to think about it and not call up a member of Council?
If you really look at it the 2023 Police Budget has the same adds to it - except the $51,511 reduction for one officer unlikely to get on the Force this year - as there was nothing taken away from it.
All that was really changed was just how it was funded.
As Chief Bourassa stated the $330,000 use of the Traffic Safety Reserve is only a one year thing and not a continual source of funding unless approved by Council.
The add-ons such as a Communications Officer to help get the MJPS's message out to the public is still a go.
We will have to wait and see if this individual is tasked with watching social media to ensure lies on-line - or is it misunderstandings - are not spread in the community as asked or rather a good idea pointed out by the unelected, appointed and unaccountable Police Commissioner Mary Lee Booth.
Yup there may well be a new sheriff OK Facebook cop down on the 0 Block of Fairford Street East keen on shooting down Freedom of Expression on the local Facebook bitch page.
So What's The Use?
It might be asked with no reductions in what the MJBOPC requested for the MJPS what has really been accomplished?
Well in what is predicted to be a tough year financially for so many residents using the photo radar to help fund more in the budget request by the MJPS does have a positive effect this year.
But yes wait for the funding shock next year.
It is in many ways kicking the can down the road.
But there is another dynamic to be had here and that is Council is starting to ask questions and grew some you know what when it came to standing up to what is in many ways pass a blank cheque when it comes to funding the MJPS.
Additionally there was another “now what” moment as Councillor Dawn Luhning and now former chair of the Moose Jaw Board of Police Commissioners.
As she got the proverbial punt as a Police Commissioner in what my informed straw vote tally is likely to have been a 5 - 2 vote.
Even watching it on tape later - as I couldn’t attend the meeting as I was covering another event - you could feel the shock of the vote.
With Councillor Luhning's exit I will be returning to those public meetings come January.
I will be honest and say as I told people at Council I would not be attending and covering anymore MJBOPC meetings until there was substantial change.
But here in my opinion is the real win.
When it comes to what happened to the MJPS's Budget all lies in the MJPS's Accumulated Surplus.
The very account I was asking questions about way back in December 5, 2021 about.
Questions to then newly elected Mayor Clive Tolley about why couldn’t the media and the general public by that connection have greater access to what was inside the MJPS's budget just like Saskatoon, Regina and Prince Albert do?
Sure I will admit much of it had been leaked to me.
And yeah I was investigated by the Regina Police Service looking for my source(s) of information but I gave the officer the ten minute rambling rant about journalism and basically to go and pack sand.
But I digress and back to the MJPS's Accumulated Surplus account.
This is the account I believe Council looked at.
An account that a few years ago I believe had $900,000 in it and now sits at I also believe is about $150,000.
An account the MJBOPC can draw down on - in private - to fund things (at least partially) like a Tactical Team without informing people the true reasons for organizing one.
In the minds of many it is my opinion this is what is called a “slush fund.”
Sure there should be a fund for emergencies. I’m not disputing that.
But not to the extent it is larger than the City's own accumulated surplus at one time.
Especially when the budget for the MJPS is 22 percent of the entire budget for the City of Moose Jaw.
This is what I think Council in the end accomplished by sending the Police Budget back to the Moose Jaw Board of Police Commissioners for review.
Is, yes we will fund the MJPS for their needs to combat crime, but we won't be giving them extra money to seemingly horde for their wants.